Mac or PC? + what software?

Question

Hi,
I work in a primary school and we're currently looking at getting a new computer for the school office. We would like to get a computer & software that allows us to do a number of different applications ranging from word processing to image & video editing. We are unsure as to what to go for - Apple or PC? What specs?

Also if we were to go for either of these what software would be best for the following?

Word processing - Microsoft office for either Mac or Pc?
Video Editing - ?
Image Editing - Photoshop?
Music editing - ?

Also we would like to burn concert DVDs (anything from 50-200 at a time so 1 at a time from a pc would take a long time) and various other DVDs ourselves, what software and hardware would we need?

Cost isn’t too big of an issue as we are currently looking at this as a longer term investment - saving money from using graphics designers and DVD creation etc.

We would also look into getting software training for a few members of staff to use the new software so it doesn’t have to be something we have used before.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading,

Dave

Answer 1

A Windows PC running Home Premium 64 bit will be the most versatile and the best value for the tasks you lists.



Hardware:

You will be best off with a quad core CPU [I recommend the Intel i5 2500K] for video editing and I suggest 8GB RAM would also be prudent [16GB for more speed in video editing]. A dedicated video card will be a good idea for serious video editing and if you don't need the syetm to play any complicated video games, then a modest card like the AMD Radeon HD 6670 would be quite adequate for your needs.



Depending on the degree of music editing and or creation you want to do a dedicated soundcard like those from Creative: http://uk.store.creative.com/sound-blaster.aspx will give you a lot more power and options over an onboard sound chip



Software:

For Word Processing, spreadsheets, presentations etc Microsoft Office is by far the best suite but if cost is an issue the free Open Office: http://www.openoffice.org/ and free Libre Office: http://www.libreoffice.org/download/ offer 80% of the functionality of MS Office with only the most advanced features missing. Both these free alternatives can open and save to MS office formats for compatibility.



For Video Editing I recommend either Adobe Premiere Elements or Sony VegasMovie Studio.



For Image editing. Adobe Photoshop is by the far the ebest but if you don't need th really advanced features then Photoshop Elements is still hugely functional and will save a lot of money over the full Photoshop license.



For music editing the free [open source] Audacity is very good and has lots of advanced functions and effects, from here: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

If you need something more capable for mixing with loads of virtual instruments and music creation then consider Steinberg Sequel 3 or for very advanced music creation [but very expensive] Cubase, from here: http://www.steinberg.net/en/products/sequel/start.html





windows 7 has the built in ability to burn DVD's but to create multiple disks you need a separate piece of specialized duplication hardware like this:

http://www.supermediastore.com/category/u/cd-dvd-blu-ray-duplication-hardware



hope these suggestions help you

Answer 2

I honestly have no idea what OS I would go for. However, I found that Windows OS generally are more beneficial than a mac OS. Windows is used more often in workplaces and schools, which will generally give more compatibility if transferring files to other people. But I hear that Macs are better for the "Arts topics" which is what you require.



I used a PC/ Windows in highschool and these are windows programs i would use.



Word processing -Best and safest option is Microsoft office 2010 suite. This is probably the best choice as you have many, many functions within the programs.



Video editing -I have had no experience here, sorry!



Image Editing -Photoshop CS5. I have used this program and it is brilliant and can allow you to do literally millions of things to a picture. If you are looking for free software, Gimp would be the way to go.



Music Editing -I have had used a free program called 'Audacity' but I am unsure how useful it will be in a school environment. I dont recall anyone but myself using it! :P





The important part is that you get the right specs in your computer.



CPU/Processor -To burn atleast 1 DVD takes quite a load onto your CPU, therefore you will be wanting to look for a CPU chip that can process things very fast. (Speed measured in 'Ghz') I recommend going with an Intel chip. AMD can be much cheaper than Intel, but from experience, Intel is much more stable. -Edit- A "QUAD CORE" processor is WAAAAAY better, and will run super fine.



Motherboard -You need to find a motherboard which is compatible with the CPU and RAM Chips. If going with Intel CPU, get an Intel Motherboard.



RAM -The more RAM the better. RAM, in simple terms, accesses memory quicker, making the computer run faster.The better the RAM + CPU, the better the computer.



Video/ Graphics Card -Minimum worth of 1Gb. 1Gb is enough to power probably any video game, you wouldn't need to exceed this.



Hard-Drive -1 or 2 Terabyte Hard Drive. Useful for storing massive amounts of files and quite a few movies.



Not sure if any of this will help, but good luck!

Answer 3

I would go with a PC and make sure that it has a Gnome version of Linux on it. Linux PCs are cheaper because Linux is free and all the applications you need as described above are also free, and it's compatible with big free software sites like dotdeb.com. Once a gnome version of Linux is installed(My favorite is Solus Os) , you can use Audacity for audio editing, OpenOffice Libre for Word processing, and Gimp for image editing. All these programs are free on Linux. Also there are many different free Video editing programs for Linux too, but I don't know of the names right now.